Scarred Back, Scarred Heart
by Darkkinkachu
Summary: Ren gets hurt during training. Who will help the wayward Shaman? RA and a bit OOC. one shot.


Scarred Back, Scarred Heart

Darkkinkachu: Why write a one shot when I have other things going on you ask? Well let me tell you…………………...uh………………………………….

Lawyer Lemur: Darkkinkachu does not own Shaman King or any Shaman King related things depicted in this fic.

Ren's POV

I crept silently along the wall of the house hoping desperately no one would find me. I didn't want any one to see me like this. They would think I'm weak…and maybe I am. I still can't believe Yoh landed that hit! What's wrong with me? How could I let my guard down like that? Oh yes…I remember now…

:Flash Back:

"Ready to loose?" Yoh asked me, mock-tough. I couldn't help a little smirk. Yoh may be scary when he really means something but that boy just can't do scary if he's only playing. Instead of an evil smirk it was more of an awkward grin. Its strange really…there was a time I wouldn't even known I could have these friendly thoughts. I wondered briefly if it meant I was weak but banished that quickly. Yoh had already proven that point wrong…I just did my best 'yeah-whatever-you-say-buddy' look then brought out my Qwan Dao. It had started out as such a good fight too…Yoh and I clashed a few times then jumped back to await the others move. Several minuets later I stepped back and grinned. Yoh was panting slightly so I decided this would be the best time to go in and hit him to end the match. So that's what I did. Fake to the left, parry, twist, jump-wait, what was that? Out the corner of my eye I caught a glint of gold and turned my head ever so slightly to see what it was. It was Anna. Anna watering a plant in the windowsill and smiling that tiny happy smile she does when she thinks no one is looking. I just couldn't help myself. I couldn't help watching her. Because that is my secret. The secret I will take to my grave. I love Anna-chan. But then I was brought back to cruel reality by a panicked yell of, "Ren! Look out!" and a sudden searing pain across my back. I gave a yelp, more of surprise than pain, and fell forward onto my knees.

"Aw geeze Ren! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Yoh said helping me up and looking very pale, "I didn't mean to! It-I mean… you were moving and I thought I could land a hit but probably not because I thought you would dodge but then you stopped moving and…and…"

I stood up, careful to keep my front to Yoh, and waved my hand dismissively, "It's fine…you only tore my clothes." He looked at me a moment and I was afraid he would call my bluff, "really Yoh, I'm fine…I'm just going to go in and change my shirt."

"And you're sure your ok?"

"Yes, Yoh like I already said _I'm fine_." Finally he nodded grinning slightly and turned to pick up his blade but when he turned back I was gone.

:End flash back:

I hate the feeling of warm blood trickling down my back and seeping into my clothing. It reminds me to much of the day I was marked…honestly, I hate blood in general. So sticky and smelly and hard to clean out of things. I looked down suddenly when I realized I might have been dripping the red liquid on the floor but sighed in relief when I say I wasn't. I was only a few steps away from the bathroom, thinking I could get cleaned up and changed before any one noticed. Just a few more steps…

"Ren?"

I froze and felt the blood drain from my face. No…not her…any one but her…

"Why are you sneaking around?" Anna asked stepping out of her room.

"I'm not sneaking!" I said, a little too quickly. Anna's eyes narrowed and I mentally slapped myself. Getting instantly defensive is like out right telling some one 'why, yes! As a matter of fact I_ am_ sneaking around your house!' I resisted the desire to press my back to the wall and slide on into safety. But that wouldn't work for two very good reasons; (1) I would leave a big bloody streak on the wall and (2) Anna would only be more suspicious.

"Uh…I mean…I was just…going to the bathroom…" I said in a pathetic attempt to throw her off. Damn it! What's wrong with me? Why do I always loose it around Anna?

"I see…" She said stepping closer to me, "so you came all the way upstairs to use the bathroom?"

"HoroHoro is in the other one." I said simply, regaining some of my cool.

"ahhhh…Horohoro is in the other one." Anna said, turning her back on me. This was my chance… "You mean the Horohoro who is currently in town with Ryu and Pirka?" foiled again…but I was almost through the door! If I could just…

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Damn…there's just some thing about how demanding Anna is. It kinda turns me on…ack! No! Bad thoughts! Suddenly I felt a small hand around my wrist and, with an incredible twist-jerk I'll have to learn, I was biting the wall.

"oh…" Anna said softly, letting me go. I looked back at her intending to be angry but then I saw her face. It was still cold and mostly emotionless but her eyes gave her away. They were full of sympathy and worry. If it had been any one else I would have hated that look. I didn't need their pity! But this was Anna. I felt privileged to be given such a look.

"What happened?"

"…"

"Tell me or I'll cross milk off the grocery list."

"Yoh and I were practicing…he got a lucky hit, that's all."

She looked at me for a moment then sighed, "take off your shirt, Ren."

_Yes ma'am!_ Said a dirty little voice in my head but I brushed it off and gave her a cold glare.

She glared back with a look that would freeze a yeti, "Get in my room and take off your shirt. I have to clean that cut before it gets infected."

I sighed in defeat and slumped into Anna's Room. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Why pass it up? I slowly unbuttoned my shirt, wincing slightly as the blood that had managed to dry pulled away taking some of my skin with it. I laid it down carefully in the laundry and sat on Anna's bed. I had never been in her room before so I took the time to look around. It was dark. I guess Anna likes the dark…and rather bare. There was a large bookcase, crammed with all kinds of things, her bed, a desk, and, sitting on that desk, a photo frame. I got up and walked across the room picking up the frame to examine it. It was a picture of all of us. I smiled slightly, running my thumb along the edge of the frame.

"What are you doing?"

I set the frame down and turned around so fast it made me dizzy. Anna was standing in the door way, a small bowl of warm water in one hand and a roll of bandages and cotton balls in the other. She nodded towards her bed and I obediently walked over and sat down. She walked around behind me, setting the bowl down and falling silent. After a moment I looked back, wondering why she wasn't doing anything. She was just standing there, looking at my back with a mixed expression I couldn't read. For a nervous second I thought maybe my cut was worse than I thought and she was going to call Faust or some thing (shudder). I was vaguely amused to realize it was my tattoo she was looking at. _Anna's never seen it before_ I thought as she sat behind me and began dabbing at the shallow slice on my back. And it hurt. Yes, especially when she used the alcohol on it. But I didn't say anything. That's just not who I am. We just sat there silently, me, enjoying her company and surprisingly gentle touch, her, just tending to her fiancée's friend. It wasn't until she had to put her arms around me to finish wrapping the bandage that I started to thing how much I wanted some one like Anna. I wanted some one to care about me. I wanted some one to comfort me. I wanted some one to love me. And I didn't want some one _like_ Anna…I want _Anna_. What an awful person I am. After all Yoh's done for me, I can't help but hate him a little. That grinning idiot doesn't even realize how lucky he is to have this cold golden goddess. I felt Anna lightly tracing the design on my back and it sent delightful shivers up my spine and made me dizzy again. I blinked slowly. That's odd…when did it get so hot in here? And why does my head feel fuzzy? Suddenly there was a small cool hand on my forehead and I felt myself grinning stupidly. Wait, what? I don't grin! And I especially don't grin stupidly!

"You have a fever…" ah…my lovely Anna-chan is speaking to me…I wonder what she's saying… "you need to go lie down Ren."

Hmm…lie down…I can do that…I slumped back against Anna-chan's chest, my head just below her chin, "Night Anna-kun…" I mumbled before falling into blissful darkness.

End Ren's POV

Yoh wandered up the stairs, humming to himself and wondering what had become of Ren. He slid open his door, intending to take a nap before Anna caught him and made him do something when he noticed an abnormality in is general focas of life. Anna's door was open. Anna _never_ left her door open. Curiosity got the better of the young Shaman and he tip-toed over. The sight that met his eyes caused an odd jerk behind his stomach and a dull angry he hadn't known he was capable of. Anna, HIS Anna, was sitting against the wall with a shirtless Ren's head in her lap.

"Anna? What the-"

"Shhh! You'll wake him up Baka!"

A goast of a frown crossed the brown-haired boys face as he crept in and squatted down close to the pair, one eyebrow quirked in a questioning mannor.

"Ren has a fever from you slicing him like deli meat." Anna said in a simple whisper.

Yoh tried to ignore the fact that Anna was gently caressing the sleeping boy's ear and the Chinese Shaman seemed to be enjoying it a great deal. It only made the dull anger grow sharper, "oh…ok…but…" Yoh fought with himself a moment, then burst out in a hissing whisper, "why? Why would you do that for him? Your being so…nice…"

"I'm not always nice?" Anna asked with some thing like a grin. But then she sighed and looked down at the violet haired boy, "Yoh I know you didn't have it easy growing up…" she said in a soft voice he had rarely heard before, "but you did have people who cared about you. And you always had spirits for company. Ren…he never had any of that. If any one ever cared about him it was just as a tool. I guess…I kinda feel sorry for him…"

Yoh stared, open mouthed, at the Itako. Was this really Anna?

"Quit gawking. We need groceries for tonight. The list is on the fridge."

Yoh sighed. Yes, it was really Anna. As he got up and left the room with an odd uneasy feeling he heard her call to his retreating back, "and don't forget the milk."

Darkkinkachu: oooooh myyyyyy gooooooodneeeesssss…..so veeeeery OOC! But hey…that's why it's call fan _fiction_ people. Any who….LONG LIVE REN/ANNA:beats back the Yoh/Anna people: even better….HOROHORO/ANNA RULES:mobbed by Yoh/Anna fans: aw bugger….R&R! Or I'll sick the Lawyer Lemur on you! And tell me if you know any good Ren or Horohoro with Anna pairing stories


End file.
